Rainy Day Escape
by alot-on-my-mind
Summary: After being brought back from the dead, Jim is tired of being stuck in the hospital and decides to make a break for it. Unfortunately for him, the sky chose today to send down buckets of rain on the poor captain. One shot of some Jim and Bones friendship, Uhura makes an appearance as well.


**College has been kicking my butt lately so I've been super busy. Sometimes I get so stressed out I need to pretend I'm being productive by finishing art things, hence the new watercolor on my wall and a new story here! Hope you enjoy it, I just love writing Kirk and Bones.**

 **As always, I do not own Star Trek or any of the characters**

* * *

Post into darkness

Jim Kirk had been cooped up in the hospital for weeks and he was _bored_. Granted, he had pretty much died and been brought back to life. Not too long ago he had felt too tired and sick to be bored, but it was hard to appreciate that fact when he felt like another minute spent in the sterile white room would drive him insane.

He knew he wasn't back to full strength yet but he thought he should at least be able to go home and rest in peace, no pun intended. A certain doctor had other ideas, however. Leonard McCoy wanted his trouble-making, accident prone friend to stay right where he could keep an eye on him. (" _I went to a lot of trouble to bring you back to life and I'd like to keep you that way, dammit_ ")

Speaking of the doctor, Jim thought, the man was surprisingly absent from his normal spot (hovering over the various monitors in the room). Perfect time to escape the damn hospital and get back to the comfort of his apartment. Well, at least he could get some privacy, his apartment was pretty much just a place to crash at night whenever he was actually on Earth. He only felt truly at home on the Enterprise, but that wasn't really an option at the moment.

Jim got out of the bed slowly and crept to the door, checking if the coast was clear. With no one in sight, Jim sighed gratefully and made quick his escape. He was sick of everyone treating him like some fragile thing that would die again at a moments notice.

Once outside the hospital, Jim headed for a nearby park, he quickly realized he wasn't quite ready to be alone in an empty apartment. He grimaced, maybe it wasn't such a great idea to 'escape', at least with Bones and the nurses around he could distract himself from the memories and the _holy crap I really did die_.

Humph, too late now, he thought, already half way to the park and determined to prove to himself that he was just fine.

Adding to Jim's already precarious mood, the sky was stormy and looked like it could start pouring rain at any minute. And rain it did almost as soon as Jim reached the park with no convenient buildings to take shelter in.

"It figures," Jim grumbled as he turned up his jacket collar and headed deeper into the trees, hoping the leaves would keep him dry. The walk to the park had taken much of his strength, to Jim's dismay. Refusing to give in, Jim trudged on sullenly, getting thoroughly soaked. His body rebelled at the rough treatment and his legs suddenly decided to stop helping him, sending him instead to collapse against a nearby tree, panting harshly.

"Damn it!" Jim yelled his frustrations to the empty park. He slid to the ground at the base of the tree, the rain was lessened here under the trees canopy but it still dripped on his face just often enough to be irritating. He sighed, resigning himself to sit here and be miserable, glaring out at the grey world around him.

* * *

Meanwhile Leonard McCoy had discovered the disappearance of his patient.

"Dammit Jim, I told you to stay in bed" the doctor grouched. His mood darkened further and worry crept into his expression when he saw it was pouring outside.

"Just great, kids gonna get himself sick again, knowing his rotten luck." Bones dashed out the door only to skid to a stop in front of a very surprised Uhura.

"Shit, sorry Uhura, you startled me."

Seeing the worry in his face, the perceptive communications officer quickly asked "Leonard, what's wrong, is Jim okay? I was just coming to visit him."

"That's the problem, the damn fools gone and disappeared on me" The doctor threw up his hands.

Uhura lifted an eyebrow, not quite surprised that the energetic captain had decided to leave the hospital he had been in for weeks. She had never seen him sit still for as long as he had when recovering and was frankly surprised he hadn't tried to leave sooner. Bones looked ready to take off again so she quickly placed a reassuring hand on his arm.

"I'll help you look for him, do you know where could he have gone?"

Bones flashed her a grateful look. "Hopefully he headed to his apartment, he's always hated sleeping in hospitals. There's a park near there that I've found him in before when he's tired of being inside or when he's upset" Bones told her, realizing he had been about to rush out with no plan.

"Okay, you check the park since you know where to look and I will check his apartment, if he's not there, I'll meet you in the park." Uhura's calm voice doing much to help focus the doctor and he nodded along. The pair split up soon after they passed through the hospital entrance.

* * *

Alone again with his worry and cursing the heavy downpour, Bones reached the park in record time and headed for the place he had found Jim before.

Bones' worry manifested itself as anger as he spotted the wayward captain sitting against a tree. Slowing down as he approached Kirk with an impressive tirade already forming, Bones practically deflated at the look Jim gave him from the ground. He looked so worn out, physically and mentally, that the grumpy doctor just couldn't find it in his heart to yell at him. It was like trying to yell at a drenched puppy.

"Dammit Jim" he sighed as he slid down next to him. "You nearly gave me a heart attack disappearing like that kid"

"Sorry Bones" Jim whispered "I didn't mean to worry you I just couldn't stand being in that hospital anymore."

Bones ran a hand through his wet hair, sighing again as he flicked off a few drops of water. "Did you have to pick the day it decided to storm to make a break for it? I bet you exhausted yourself walkin' out here too" Bones prompted.

Jim chuckled halfheartedly, "just my luck huh? I can't even go for a simple walk without the universe conspiring against me." Jim's voice rose with his emotions, "it's been weeks Bones, I shouldn't feel this tired and useless all the time."

"You went through a lot Jim," Bones began gently, "you came back from the dead dammit. Your mind as well as your body needs time to heal and it can't do that if you run around in the rain" he couldn't help scolding the man a bit, he had really been worried.

"I just… I just needed to get out. I can't go back there, it smells all sterile and there's too much noise." Jim had drawn his knees up and put his head in his hands.

"Alright, alright, I knew this would happen sooner or later. I just wanted to keep you where the med supplies were for as long as I could but I guess it's not really necessary anymore. What you need now is rest and if you can do that better at outside of the hospital then that works for me" Bones told him, trying to alleviate the dark mood that seemed to be surrounding his friend.

Offering a small smile still too far from his usual cheeky grin, Jim looked over at his friend before shifting his gaze further down the path.

Bones followed his movement and saw Uhura walking towards them with an umbrella over her head (sensible woman) and an extra one in her hand (for the two idiots who left without one). Bones made a move to stand but Jim tugged his sleeve. "Thanks for coming to find me, I'm sorry to be so much trouble" he whispered.

Leonard smiled "No problem kid, just tell me next time you feel like running off into the pouring rain so I can talk you out of such a stupid idea."

"Hey" Jim protested. "It wasn't raining when I left!"

"Well you should have looked at the sky, it's been dark and cloudy all day, for god's sake Jim" Bones retorted as he stood up. He reached a hand back down to help Jim up, who gratefully accepted as he still felt decidedly unsteady. Uhura reached the pair and offered them the second umbrella, smiling at their familiar bickering.

Before Jim could protest, Bones slung the arm he was still holding around his shoulder and moved the umbrella over them both (though they were already soaked). Jim opened his mouth and tried to pull away but his wobbly legs betrayed him and Bones just raised an eyebrow and glared as he supported most of Jim's weight.

Uhura shook her head fondly at the two and turned to follow as Leonard tugged his captain in the direction of Jim's apartment. "I'm glad we were able to find you Captain, we were worried" Uhura began, falling into step beside them.

Jim glanced at her somewhat sheepishly, "sorry about that, and for making you get stuck in the rain."

"It's fine Jim, I brought an umbrella, unlike you two idiots" Uhura replied smoothly. Jim looked ready to continue apologizing but she cut him off, "we all care for you Captain. Leonard here was so worried he barely stopped to talk to me before running off to find you. I know you feel like you have to do everything on your own but we really just want to be able to help you for a change, you do so much for us."

Jim cast his gaze to the muddy ground, unsure how to respond, and pretended to focus on walking for a minute.

Sensing his discomfort, Bones squeezed his arm reassuringly before announcing "alright, I think that's enough emotional breakthroughs for one day, lets hurry up and get out of his infernal rain before we all catch our death. Again in Jim's case."

The mood lightened considerably as Jim snorted at his oldest friend and the rest of the journey passed without incident. At the door, Uhura gave Jim a brief hug and another soft "I'm glad you're okay" before returning to her own apartment, knowing the Captain would be in good hands.

Bones helped Jim the rest of the way inside and sat him on a chair before going to find some dry clothes and a towel. He handed the pile to Jim before going off to search for some of the clothes he had probably left here on various earlier visits. Returning to the small living room, Bones helped an unusually compliant Jim into his bed and pulled up a chair next to him.

Worried at his friends silence and obvious exhaustion, Leonard had to ask, "you sure you're okay Jim?"

Jim offered a sleepy smile that was a little closer to being real, "yeah Bones, I think I am."

The resurrected Captain soon fell asleep and the doctor who refused to give in to death was content to sit beside him in the soft evening light for a while, reassuring himself that his friend was safe. Jim sighed in his sleep and Bones glanced down at him, happy to have averted the man's grim thoughts for the moment. He knew they would come back eventually, along with the nightmares, but he would always be there to chase them away until Jim could smile as easily and genuinely as before.

* * *

 **Just a one shot for now but who knows if inspiration will strike in the future, so leaving the ending open.**

 **Thanks for reading!**


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